Thanks, Flap. If you want to see some disturbing facts then check out this WSJ article. No one wants to acknowledge this.
I read the article in full. I would also encourage you to read the Harvard study that the article referenced:
https://archive.vn/wuc2c#selection-2429.0-2445.2
" Examination of National Violent Death Reporting System data shows racial differences across types of fatal shootings. Black civilians fatally shot by police (relative to White civilians) are more likely to be unarmed and less likely to pose an immediate threat to officers (26). In contrast, White civilians (relative to Black civilians) are nearly three times more likely to be fatally shot by police when the incident is related to mental-health concerns and are seven times more likely to commit “suicide by cop” (26). These are incidents where a civilian threatens a police officer for the purpose of ending their life (27) and reflect higher rates of suicide overall among Whites relative to Black and Hispanic civilians (28)."
I am first and foremost a supporter of military and law enforcement, and I don’t think the problem is that there is widespread racism at all - I think the problem is that the brotherhood that exists within the police force supersedes proper procedures. I refuse to believe all 4 of those officers were malicious in their intent - but their unwillingness to step in and stop their ‘brother’ because of his experience and position led to someone dying. ‘Protect our own’ is important and necessary, but not when you can see clearly that someone’s life is in danger, or that your own life is not in immediate danger.
I also grew up in NYC and, purely anecdotally, saw literal flagrant racism from cops - calling my friends “mutts” or “boy” while stopping them for no reason. However, I am also aware that a lot of the overprotectiveness that cops feel towards each other is due to the media breaking down every single incident in painstaking detail and always making LEO’s out to be the bad guy, so the “protect at all costs” reaction is just that - a reaction. Still - raw numbers and statistics don’t show the full picture in black communities, just as they don’t show the full picture in cop-involved shootings.
I’ve still got your back, though. Always.
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Ignore the unarmed cases. The stats for homicides and robberies are astounding. Are those skewed, too? Are they classifying crimes committed by white people differently?
If a certain group is responsible for a large portion of curren violent crime then it’s just simple math that they will have more police contact. The fact that the group is known to be more violent makes cops more vigilant. Some will call it trigger happy but that’s inaccurate. I can say from experience that I’m more at ease in some situations than others and it’s based on experience and context.
The WSJ article also said that white cops seem to be less likely to shoot an unarmed black man than their minority counterparts. And the biggest stat (to me) is that I’m 18 times more likely to be killed by a black person than I am to shoot an unarmed black person.
But white cops are the problem.
Fact: character and accountability is the problem, or lack thereof.
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Really hate that now we have to be on a side…if you aren’t on there side then you are the problem. Look. The police officer that killed that man is wrong. The looters and rioters are wrong. Also, maybe its time we step back and look at it all and see if there is something we can do to prevent this from happening any more. Thats it.
@flappinit That Killer Mike speech was really good. His name fits him…dude kills 
for sure.
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Quoting from your WSJ article: Crime and suspect behavior, not race, determine most police actions.
I would add to that “… and disproportionate minority group prison populations”.
Definitely didn’t mean to convey this, if I did I was mistaken.
Agreed wholeheartedly, which applies to
Case closed, nuff said.
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Oh yeah-
I did end up skipping a day on my son’s birthday.
Yesterday:
Deep Water Beginner: Week 6, Day 3
Strict Press
115 10x10
Lateral Raises
3x10
Curls
65 5x10
Sit ups and back extensions, 3x20 no rest
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Hey Flap, random question - any idea on the Native American population in NYC? Not the actual number, but to your knowledge, are there are any areas/neighborhoods that they may predominantly live in? Been working on a project and I came across a source that said 2/3’s of Natives love in urban communities, which really surprised me…talked to people I know in Minneapolis and Chicago and they said there were areas, but I’m curious about NYC.
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There may indeed be some places in NYC with a heavier population, but I never saw them.
I was curious, so I looked it up, and while there are a good amount of Native Americans in total in NYC, they make up a very, very small percentage of the population, as is expected. I saw more when I lived on Long Island because there are a few Indian reservations there, and they sold really cheap cigarettes.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help, haha.
I just asked a relative last night about my Indian heritage. My great great grandpa or the one above him was full blooded but no one knows what tribe. They listed themselves as white on the census but that was common back then. No one wanted special attention.
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Oh no problem, I was just curious. One of the main points of what I’m trying to figure out is just how “visible” Natives are in today’s world. So far, as expected, the consensus is: not very, haha. I don’t know the exact numbers but I think we only make up like 10% or so of my state’s population, but with less than a million people and 9 reservations spread out around the state, it’s fairly easy to know some or at least be aware that they’re around.
Meanwhile my friends from the West coast and the South who come to college here seem unaware that any are still alive.
We lived in Germany in the late 90’s/early 00’s, and all the white/black/Puerto Rican military members were seriously under the impression that my dad should have grown up in a tipi, riding a horse and wearing a headdress lol.
Anyway, thanks for the answer. This is a tough subject to tackle - lot of info should be out there, but it’s very hard to find.
@Frank_C - It’s funny how that kind of stuff happens. I know every once in a while, the Native side of my family would have a white person marry in, and my predominantly Norwegian/German side supposedly has a little French and English in it. I’ve always been interested in one of those DNA tests to see your ancestry but they’re not very accurate for Natives and (I think) Pacific Islanders…something about their lack of written records.
EDIT: My post is showing up twice (for me), and I can’t like either one of your posts, so here’s my very own: 
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I need not ask that question, for I am European as fuck. Hungarian-Irish predominantly.
Yesterday was:
Deep Water Beginner: Week 6, Last Day
Bench
205 3x20
Incline pushups
3xfailure
Dips
3xfailure
Pushups
3xfailure
Sit ups and 60 second plank, 3 sets no rest
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Gyms reopened.
I went back in and did all the things (probably too much). I may have underestimated how small my 45 lb plates were - I’ve been definitely pulling from a deficit with a thick bar. The noodle bar plus true 45s was like a fucking cheat code.
Deadlifts
135x5
225x5
275x5
315x5
365x1
385x1
315x15 (lifetime PR)
225x25
Standing OHP
Bar x10
95x5
135x3
155x3
135x15 (lifetime PR I think)
Incline Bench
135x5
185x5
135x25
Cable flys
3x failure
I just came back to the gym and hit 2 fucking lifetime PRs, lol. I don’t think I appreciated how much work I did with a shitty thick stiff bar at home on uneven surfaces with kids bothering me, because I’m clearly stronger, and a guy I used to talk to a bunch at the gym came up to me and asked how I had gotten bigger without the gym, lol.
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Also, Deep Water works.
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Hah, nice. Gyms might be opening here, too, but I doubt I will be hitting any PRs any time soon.
That right there is pretty sweet. The deads as well, but I have a soft spot in my heart for OHPs.
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Hell yeah dude! Great to see that work pay off.
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Yeah dude, I was very psyched considering I hit that after a top set/rep PR set/backdown set with deadlifts, haha. Very excited for the future.
The 10K KB swing challenge may have to be put on hold. Was excited to try it again and see what kind of muscle I’ve built after dropping 10 lbs of fat or so, but it’s obvious I’ve already built what I need, and I’m gonna take the next week as a short deload/hypertrophy week, lots of pump work, restorative stuff, mobility, and fixing my quad, which I haven’t really said anything about but am coming to terms with the fact that I definitely slightly tore it around week 3 (vastus lateralis area), and then I think it’s back to deep waters with no adjusted lifts the whole time.
I may eat at more of maintenance during this time - I’m now consistently weighing around 228-230 upon waking and that is a weight that I believe can safely yield about 1.5x all my current lifts, if not more.
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I’m genuinely appreciative of the advice and the support, dude. Wasn’t a coincidence that I did BTM and Deep Water. Hell of a 12-13 week strength/size block.
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Man, I’ve almost pulled the trigger on some bumper plates a handful of times but I never do. My plates are smaller too, so when I do find myself somewhere other than the basement doing deadlifts I feel like a damn superhero haha. Nice friggin’ work dude.
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